Grand jury to get case involving bodies found in Hartwell Lake

Anderson County sheriff's deputies lead John Michael Young into an Anderson courtroom Friday for a preliminary hearing on the two murder charges against Young.

ANDERSON - John Michael Young barely moved as he sat in a courtroom listening to a sheriff's deputy describing how Young allegedly killed two people with a bat before stuffing their bodies into barrels that were later pulled out of Hartwell Lake.

A circular, barrel-sized ring of blood was found in a shed behind Young's house, said investigator Lacey Holden of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.

She testified Friday morning at a preliminary hearing for Young, who is charged with the murders of 53-year-old Tony Lamar McGinnis and 37-year-old Andrea Kellie Mitchell. A magistrate ruled that the murder charges will go to a grand jury.

They were killed about a month apart; McGinnis was first.

Their bodies were recovered, Mitchell's in a plastic barrel and McGinnis' in a metal one, about 24 hours apart in mid-November.

Young, who turns 36 on Saturday, was arrested Nov. 17 at an Iva home, after the homeowner, Robert Hall, tipped off Iva police officers, testified deputy Craig Holbrook of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.

Mitchell was released from the Anderson County Detention Center on Oct. 17 after an arrest for methamphetamine and she immediately went to Young's house on Centerville Road, near where the barrels were recovered, Holden said. Young was listed as Mitchell's emergency contact and she was living at the house.

Mitchell was killed the next day, Holden said.

She said Shaine David Fischer, charged as an accessory after the fact to two murders, had told investigators that he had walked away from Young's Jeep Cherokee to retrieve something drug-related in a wooded area near Young's home.

Fischer, 34, heard a sound, walked over and saw Mitchell on the ground, with Young holding a baseball bat, Holden said.

It was similar to the earlier killing of McGinnis, in mid-September, when Fischer was also present, Holden said.

"They were doing dope and he (Fischer) was looking for something," she said. "Mr. Fischer said he heard a thud, saw McGinnis on the ground and Mr. Young holding a bat."

Young moved his head ever so slightly, as if to say no. It was about the only movement he made during the 50-minute hearing as he sat still with his eyes forward, exposing little emotion.

The bodies of McGinnis and Mitchell were each taken back to Young's home, about three-quarters of a mile away, in his Jeep Cherokee, Holden said.

Mitchell's body was not dismembered; her legs were folded over to make her fit in the barrel, Holden said.

McGinnis' body was chopped into several pieces, and Fischer told investigators he was unable to help with dumping the barrel because of the smell, Holden said.

William Epps III, Young's defense attorney, said that Scott had later stolen Young's Jeep, after talking to investigators about Young. Epps said that Fischer has a long history of criminal activity, including drug use, and that the case against Young is built largely on Fischer's testimony.

He asked if Fischer was given any sort of deal to cooperate. Holden said no.

Epps also asked Holden if she knew whether Mitchell was frightened by Fischer rather than Young, and Epps probed about possible Facebook posts he suggested could confirm any such threats. Holden said the digital records had been subpoenaed but were not yet available.

In a pile of ashes at Young's home, investigators found rivets from jeans and pieces that may have come from Mitchell's purse, Holden said.

Physical evidence, including blood, fibers and the barrels, has been sent to state and local laboratories but the results have not been returned, Holden said. No bat has been found, she said.

Epps said Young visited his children at his parents' home regularly. After Holden said she had not talked to Young's family members, Epps hinted that there might be pertinent details that investigators missed."There were periods of time when he was not there (at his house)?" Epps asked the investigator.

"Fischer said he was there when the murder took place," Holden answered.

Scott was the first person to alert authorities that McGinnis, whose family had been looking for him for months, had been killed, the detective said. Scott said he had heard that Young and a man named "Chico" had killed McGinnis.

"Chico" was later identified as Shaine David Fischer, Holden said.

Young's mother and a male companion sat behind him at the Friday hearing, as Magistrate Dan Sharp ruled that the murder charges, the count of moving a dead body and a weapons offense would go to a grand jury for possible indictment. Sharp agreed with Epps and ruled that deputies did not have probable cause to charge Young with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.

Sharp said prosecutors from the 10th Judicial Circuit could refile a similar charge, involving five grams of a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine, if they choose.

Epps also pushed to have the weapons charge, unlawful possession of a pistol for convicted felon Young, dismissed because the pistol had been under Young's leg rather than on his body when he was found, watching TV and sitting on a recliner in the Iva home.

"You're saying there's a difference between a gun being on Mr. Young and Mr. Young being on a gun?" Sharp asked.

Family members of McGinnis and Mitchell chuckled for a brief moment, a break from the quiet sobs that came as Holden described the killings.

After the hearing, Epps said there would be additional information coming out in the legal process but he and Young's mother did not elaborate.

McGinnis' daughter, Crystal McGinnis, said after the hearing that her family, and she believes Mitchell's family as well, wanted to express their appreciation of law enforcement officers who had helped arrest Young.

"Hopefully we'll see the end soon," she said. "It's been devastating. That was our dad, we'll never see him again. I hope my daddy and Kelly will see justice."